Ethakka Tholi Thoran / Raw Banana Peel Stir Fry With Coconut

One of the most utilized plant is banana. If you have a banana tree at home, you would know how each part of it is never neglected or disgarded. Banana leaf is used to serve, banana flower can be used in making cutlets or stir fry, stem gets edible in the form of another yummy stir fry, banana itself can be either eaten raw or cooked...the most favorite being banana chips and even the banana peel can turn into a very delicious stir fry to be paired with rice. One banana tree and its multiple uses. Isn't it amazing?

Remember, couple of weeks ago I had posted the recipe for banana chips. And how I had asked to save the banana peel to make a stir fry. A bit delayed though, but still I made it a point to share the recipe for it here before Onam. If you happen to make the banana chips for onam sadya, then do not throw away the banana peel, they indeed make a very delicious thoran, that can be served for your sadya too. So here you go, the recipe for it is here.

Sambar

Sambar is one unavoidable item on the sadya menu. With onam fast approaching, I thought sharing a sambar recipe would be apt. Whenever I complain that Jacob should get more involved in the kitchen and should take up interest in cooking, he always picks on me saying "who taught you to make sambar ?". Well those initial days of marriages while I was learning to cook to feed our stomach, the sambar preparations were done by Jacob. He is such a sambar lover. I would always prefer moru kachiyathu over sambar for rice. But I guess, as year pass by living with a sambar lover, I too have started to like sambar.

Well this recipe is not the traditional method of sambar preparation. Usually, the sambar powder is fried in the oil along with tempering and added to the sambar . I avoid doing it, to cut down the consumption of oil. Also I find it as an easier way to prepare, without the fear of burning the sambar powder, especially when you have too many things on the menu for sadya and hurrying, things go wrong sometimes. So try my version of sambar if you would like to, for this onam and let me know if you liked it.

Kerala Banana Chips / Ettakka Upperi

Onam is fast approaching. To prepare Onam Sadya is definitely some work, but is totally possible with some planning and prep work. This chips is something that you could make early and store, to be served for Sadya. It definitely is worth making it at home because it is easy, cheaper than store bought ones, fresh and homemade with love :). For me Sadya is not about how many dishes you made to feed your crowd, but how much love did you add in it to make it special.

These chips can never be forgotten in a Sadya. Salt and chips usually get served initially and while we wait for the rice and other 'n' number of curries to be served, these chips all vanish, which makes us take another serving of it and enjoy. Ahh, there is still time to enjoy an Onam Sadya but I think all this talking made me crave for one..he he... Cannot wait for it to be Onam. Who else is with me? Anyways, grab this recipe and make some chips before Onam to serve for your Onam Sadya.

Chowari Payasam / Sabudana Kheer / Tapioca Pearl Pudding

It may be known by different names that may make it sound like too complicated or sophisticated, but it is just a very basic payasam or kheer that you can put together in a matter of time. With Vishu around the corner, I thought what best can be served to my blog baby than a yummy payasam. 

Not just for sadyas, it can make a super yummy tea time/after school snack for kids as well as adults too. With just minimal ingredients and most importantly with least efforts...when you can make such a yummy payasam, then why think twice. Just go ahead and make it.

Dates Payasam

Onam Sadya is incomplete without a payasam. Infact, its the highlight of an onam sadya, right? We always try to go with the Cherupayar Parippu Payasam for Onam Sadya. Ever since I was a kid, the onam sadya at home always had Cherupayar Parippu payasam for sadya. Other payasams are usually had for other occasions. If you are not so strict about having a particular payasam for onam then you could try a variety of payasams for your sadya. One such payasam is Dates payasam.

The highlight of this payasam is that no sugar goes into it. Its just the sweetness of the dates that makes this payasam yum. So if you are open to trying something new for this onam then go ahead and try it. You wouldn't be disappointed :). Also, this can be made quickly and that too it gets done with just one greasy pot :). Now that is one plus to try it for onam, when you have loads of dishes to do after the sadya.

Kerala Parippu Curry

Onam is fast approaching. Sadya is what comes into my mind when I speak of Onam. We don't usually get to eat food on banana leaf, otherwise. So, Onam Sadya is so looked forward to. Last year, we managed to make a mini sadya at home, for the first time, after having Jordan. We made the pookalam too. The little one was too excited that all the effort seemed, so worth. The other day when I told him that onam is in like a weeks time. He said he wants a sadya. My jaws dropped. I didn't expect him to remember last years celebrations. But he remembers every bit of it.

I remember asking my parents to take me for a sadya at the karshaka market (that is the place were we would get sadya served on banana leaf) when we came to kerala during one vacation. My Mom laughed and said, "usually kids ask for biriyani or porotta-chicken or icecream treat etc. But I asked for sadya". I guess my kido has also gone after me. He loves the whole sitting down for sadya and having the spread infront of him on banana leaf. Ohhh...I just can't wait to have sadya now.

Kovakka Kichadi or Ivy Gourd in yogurt sauce

Onam Sadya has a wide list of items on the menu and one of it is Kichadi. Pavakka Kichadi and Kovakka Kichadi is equally liked by all of us. We go with making of either one of them for the sadya at home. And it is not something that appears only for onam. We make it very often esp. in summer.

My MIL always makes us some pavakka kondattam and packs it to take home after vacation. She once tried kovakka kondattam too when she had too much kovakka from her kitchen garden. We liked it too, but not as much as pavakka kondattam. So we used to fry it and make kovakka kichadi out of it. They were superb that way. And far easy rather than slicing and frying the kovakka for kichadi. So if you have kovakka kondattam in hand, try making kichadi out of it. Its an instant one but tastes so good.

Homemade Sambar Powder

While growing up, I always used to see my mother take the effect to dry the ingredients for sambar powder in the sun and then grind it to make the homemade sambar powder. It would be an effort but the end result is that delicious sambar that no other brand masalas can offer.

And the peace of mind that you get to have homemade product because you very well know what went into it and are not worried of the impurities that are present in the store bought ones. Oh, and that smell that gets filled in your home is just pure divine.

Padavalanga Thoran / Snake Gourd stir fry with coconut

Padavalanga Thoran was one of the frequently made thorans for rice while we were in Bangalore or Pune. When we came to US we really missed having it. Here in Indian stores, we get it once in a while. So we still get to have it once in a while.

At my home, I have never had it. My mom never made it. Honestly, I don't know why she never made it. It was after marriage that I got introduced to it. My MIL makes it often and it was a love at first bite :P,  when I had this. Slightly crunchy and with the goodness of grated coconut in it, it is very unlikely that a mallu wouldn't love it. Try it and let me know if you like it. 

Unniyappam

Holidays, while in hostel, were most looked forward to. The last few days of holidays would be spent by mummy asking what I wish to take back with me to the hostel? For me, Unniyappam would be one constant thing on the list.

The goodies taken along with us helps to bare or overcome the home sickness as well as to survive the terrible hostel food.

Kalan

We don't make Kalan very often to go with our daily meals. But for Sadya, it is a must. And when you get to have it just once or twice a year, it gets special. Onam is fast approaching and you may want to add it to your already huge list of items for Sadya, if not already.

Raw banana curries are not very well appreciated by my family and that is the very reason why we don't make it often. But if you love raw bananas, don't restrict it for just Sadya alone. Add it to your daily menu items. They are yumm.

Olan

Olan is one thing that we make only for onam. So, I say it is as one onam sadya special dish. However, there is no such restriction that you should make it only for onam. Having it with some hot and steaming rice on any other day is equally mind blowing. 

Here is the recipe for our onam sadya special olan. 

Beetroot Thoran / Beetroot Stir fry with coconut

Thoran is so close to heart, for a Mallu. I love stir fries too but something with coconut in it, is so heavenly. I remember being a beetroot hater as a kid. But now when I think of it, I feel so foolish of myself to have avoided a beautiful and yummy veggie for all those years. So to make it up, this veggie makes its appearance on our menu quite often, now. 

And nope, this veggie just doesn't limit to savory stuff, but they make a great ingredient in cakes and halwas too. This beetroot thoran is just one way they are being served at our place. If you would want to try it, here is the recipe.

Pavakka Kichadi

Bitter gourd and me have had issues for long and till date it has not changed but yeah resolved a bit with time. I love it fried, in the form of Kondattam. So these bitter gourd are not frequently seen in my kitchen.

But when Onam comes and you have to make a khichadi, I get these and make it this way. It has a bit of frying involved which makes it less bitter, so we get to enjoy it with the sadya. This is how I make it.

Ulli Theeyal

Theeyal is not made often at my home. It just makes its appearance once in a while. However, my mom-in-law makes it often. It is from her that I learnt to make it.

The only difficult part in making it is the frying of the coconut mixture. And, mom-in-law would make a huge batch of this fried mixture to take along to Bangalore. Now when the hardest part was made easy, we would make theeyal quite often. The only difference would the different veggies that went into it- bitter gourd, brinjal, shallots etc. It would make a meal, finger licking good.

Avial / Aviyal

No big treat comes even closer to the Sadya spread on a banana leaf. I love having it. In fact, I remember asking my mom to take me to the karshaka market (farmer's market) for a Sadya, during one of the summer vacation. Those are the heights of my Sadya craving. And yes it has to be on the real banana leaf and not those plastic coated banana leaf look alike paper.

This Onam we had planned for a Sadya with friends but Jordan backed off. Not only did he fall sick of cough and cold, he took us down too. But all the Facebook and whatsapp updates and pics didn't let the Onam spirit go down. We didn't have all items on our Onam spread but we did have a decent amount of items that were more than our number of fingers, which includes salt and papadam too .. He he . For the last two years we had not prepared a sadya either because I was pregnant or because I had hardly anytime left after having taken care of a new born. So this time, we so badly wanted to celebrate, atleast for Jordan. Our planning made us buy the plastic banana leaves a week in advance thinking that if we stay adamant about the real banana leaf , we might just not get it at the last moment. Now that we had no friends coming over ( I would hate to serve cold along with sadya to our friends), we had so many leaves and so much leftover curries. Even though Onam was over we still used to have our lunch and dinner with those leftover curries spread over the leaf to compensate on the sadya missed out for the past 2 years. And Jordan just loved it and I guess , he mistook it to be a new practice at our home. Because he gave me a strange look when I served him the meal the next day in a plate rather than the banana leaf ..he he

Puli inji / Inji Puli / Inji Curry

Puli Inji - the name itself gets my tastebuds active. But since I have some leftover from the last week's Sadya, I am good. I can have it for lunch today :). Now it is not something that I associate as a daily menu item. We generally make it only for Onam Sadya. And they can be stored well. So you could make it before hand and not worry about it among the "n" number of items you would be making on the day of Sadya.

If you are planning for a Sadya anytime, this is a must in your menu list. No Sadya can be complete without the mixed flavor of Puli Inji- a bit of tartness, a pinch of sweet and little spiciness. So here is the recipe to the Puli Inji.